The fact that its been so normalized to be this openly shitty and callous toward frigging children... i dont even know how to react to this any more.
Im not saying its hopeless, but I feel like a lot of people on the "lets not let children go hungry" side of the fence are almost left speechless by these idiots. But i feel like thats almost part of their strategy - stunning the opposition. There has to be a better response.
What's the best way to respond to this kind of brazen cruelty? (Besides voting and campaigning for candidates who arent sociopathic).
Beyond disgusting. Keep the kids hungry so they can't learn while sitting in their underfunded classrooms. Uneducated masses ripe for the conservative picking. Can't see through their lies if you've never been taught how to think. I hate it here...
imagine being in the strategy meeting with your team, when they suggest a play based on suspending withdrawing food from child would go well with your voters.
imagine agreeing to go with it. getting a speech written about it and one day standing at the lectern to say in front of crowd of assembled people "it is not our responsiblity to feed children". and then pausing for applause and going home and telling your spouse, "today went great".
in this supply chain of inhumanity, there were so many opportunities for the heart to say "yo...something is off here.....cant quite put my finger on it.......but it doesnt seem.....right ?."
to sail through all those checkpoints of human decency, and go through with it, is nothing less than psychopathy.
It's really quite shocking how the GOP agenda can be predicted by asking yourself, "What's the worst thing someone would in a given situation?". What's even more shocking is that they have engineered the political framework to disproportionately grant them enough power to sometimes pass these regressive policies. But for most of America, sigh, just another Thursday...
How did this get normalized? Why is this even something that is even considered debatable? As a society, feeding our children should be the first priority.
Tearing down women's rights. Ruining queer people's life, especially trans people. Making sure children can't eat for free. Wow. Quite the priorities over at the Republican party.
I'm not American, I've just been looking from afar for a long time now. But from everything I'm seeing... it feels like they're going to be in for quite the rude awakening in 2024.
You know, I try to keep an open mind and try to understand how the other side could come to the conclusions they do, but sometimes they really make it difficult. I genuinely don't get how this could be construed as anything other than malicious. What's the benefit in this? How is this "thinking of the children?" How did a political party come to represent views that are so aggressively anti-humanity? It's such a bizarre platform to attach yourself to so proudly and openly.
They're not even bothering to lie any more, and yet everyone still votes for them.
You know that scene in Final Fantasy 8 where Edea announces her evil plan to a huge crowd and calls them morons and they all clap and cheer? This is like that.
What's crazy to me is it seems like they just want children to suffer. They want to force women to give birth, but then don't give a shit about what happens to the children after. On top of that, it's like they are trying to make them suffer even more for their parents being unable to provide.
I could somewhat get attacking programs for adults. Still disagree, but I guess it's the "they should be able to provide for themselves" mentality. But then doing this for children when they are literally unable to provide for themselves or have any responsibility for being hungry. Yes, let's make the helpless children suffer.
I’m reluctant to use the word “evil”, but I can’t think of another word that accurately describes their goals and behavior. They simply hate anyone who isn’t just like them. Different race? SUFFER AND DIE. Different economic bracket? SUFFER AND DIE. Different beliefs on sexuality? SUFFER AND DIE.
They think that others are a threat to the “moral fabric” of America, but they themselves are a threat to the mere existence of millions of Americans.
"There is no such thing as a free lunch", they said :(
To pull more of the article into the comment section:
The Republican Study Committee (of which some three-quarters of House Republicans are members) on Wednesday released its desired 2024 budget, in which the party boldly declares its priority to eliminate the Community Eligibility Provision, or CEP, from the School Lunch Program. Why? Because “CEP allows certain schools to provide free school lunches regardless of the individual eligibility of each student.”
Of note is that the CEP is not even something every school participates in; it is a meal service program reserved for qualifying schools and districts in low-income areas. The program enables schools that predominantly serve children from low-income backgrounds to offer all students free breakfast and lunch, instead of means-testing them and having to manage collecting applications on an individual basis. As with many universal-oriented programs, it is more practically efficient and, as a bonus, lifts all boats. This is what Republicans are looking to eliminate.
It’s the kind of provision that many would want every school to participate in. Why not guarantee all our children are well fed as they learn and think about our world and their place in it, after all?
Very on brand for them. Especially after they denied free school lunch in North Dakota and turned around a week or so later and raised their daily meal allowance.
Aren't these the same people who claim that an unborn baby has every right to live, even if they're only like 4 cells and still dividing? Does like... that right to life just end once they're birthed? I really don't get how these people justify their stupidity.
Given that the Republicans are nominally a Christian party, has no one in the party had a look at what Jesus taught about feeding the hungry? It is pretty clear, and it is NOT this.
The one bright side of this article is that it's coming from The New Republic, which is traditionally more conservative. And the author is calling out how sad this plan is.
edit: I'm wrong? This never happens! see reply below.
Pure cruelty. Our taxes ment to be used to help people and this means more then paving roads (which in the US isn't done). I'm sick of this idea the government needs to cut spending but then they just cut social programs that is the whole point of having a government.....
Children should not have to bring money to school to eat. A nutritious and tasty meal should be provided free. Their only worries in school should be whether they studied enough to pass an exam, not on their grumbling stomachs. This is dystopian garbage.
I am not American... But I have to say, this sounds just so comically evil it seems something only a badly written cartoon villain would say, like "I will kick all puppies and banish chocolate"
make Trump’s tax cuts for the top 1 percent permanent
impose work requirements on “all federal benefit programs,” like food stamps and Medicare
extend work requirements on those aged 55–64
bring back all of twice-impeached and twice-arrested former President Donald Trump’s deregulations, including the weakening of environmental protection.
Meanwhile, they literally get free lunch. It's some ridiculous stipend over $100 a day. Tax corporations and the 1%, no never. Starving children though, excellent idea. Can't get kick backs from a single parent who's struggling. Plus we can use the money we saved to give Uvalde another armored vehicle. That'll help the children. We are truly screwed.
Profits are priority over children being able to eat, right? Makes sense to me! /s
This is just plain cruel. But I think they know that.
For a lot of kids, especially those whose families struggle financially, the free school meal is what they have to eat that day, and this would take even that away.
Why would they alienate their voter base that mainly reside in impoverished red states? A portion of those poor brainwashed right-wingers have children too.
Can you guys see the parallel with a certain spiteful CEO who is the reason for our exodus...
You see, the issue is if you spend money to guarantee children aren't going hungry then that money isn't going into the pockets of some billionaire instead. And they just can't handle that.
this is unfortunate to say the least. Its hard to decide if Republicans have been cartoon villains all along or if they just began to be more honest. Sad thing is will it even stop folks from voting for them? lmao